Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-02-17
DEL4w4RE FRUIT EXCHANGE.
annual Meeting OF the stockholders
ut Dover.

the stockholders of the Delaware Fruit
EXCHANGE was held in Burton Hall TO day
and we'll attended by Representative peach
growers,
Secretary A N Brown presented his
fourth aunual statement of the business
and progress Of the exchange. The past
year, he said has fully demonstrated the
| efficiency and importance of the iDstitu-
tion in the disposition Of our green fruits,
while success has so wonderfully attended
our efforts that we are TO day suffering
temporary embarrassmenis, financially,
that, as can be conclusively shown are
the results of what appeared TO the
officers Of the exchange 10 be strictly
necessary to properly conduct the busi.
ness as its apparent magnitude seemed 10
warrant. We're it not for this embarrass
ment the exchange could be accounted
grand Success Ii, every particular, l1it, as
| it is, unless we establish the eSeaange
upon more segnre financial policy, VT
| can only expect like results when we
meet with generally disastrous fruit
! season. Hewould, therefore, recommend
a revision of the revenue system of the
exchange.
Acting under the instructions Of this
board continues the report, visitd "a
points from which recsigsi iuyt tsious
from fruit growers 10 ey,Jia,o th,.m. ,he
exchange system, and t., secure th ip
active corporation by bteJiniug stock
holders in the exchange, and, pun
pleased to state thAt my iaboIs w1re houu-
dainty sucoessful, as the following will
show At Laurel 10 shares of stoik were
sold; at Dlmar, 6; at Clayton and
Smyrna, II; at Still Pond, Kent county,
Nd 8; ut Chestertown, Md, 8; at Fair
lee, Md, q at KanDedyville, Nd, S.
making total of 70 shares sold. This
work required my attendance at II public
meetings, numerous private meetings,
personal conyersing, extended correspon-
dence and much hard and energetic labor
to convince fruit growers that the
one exchange idea was correct, and
thereby prevent them from forming,
as many desired, separate exchanges Our
idea of concentrating buyers nt one point.
at which fruit would be offered that WAS
inspected and loaded into cars at some
distant point and TO be sold entirely upon
the inspectors report, must confess was
not any easy task to have fruit growers
comprehend and accept. Much more
readily would they have united with us
upon the cooperation plan with B&les
rooms opened at every shipping point
where two or more cars would be offered
daily, and to have all these points under
the supervision of the general board and
subject to such uniform methods of
operation as the general board might
designate.
In order to effect the working of our
system, local boards were established at
three branch offices and bylaws adopted
for their government. The entire pre-
i iF1if, ,aYxrx a. AI,s
system in minutest detail was perfected,
canvass Of the dealers in the eastern,
northern and central western statesswas
made at cost of SS138
In order to ensure their co operation in
effecting the practical working of the sys-
tenn after all this labor and outlay, how
ever, We were compelled Just prior to
opening the seasons operations to aban-
don the idea of concentrating buyers at
one point aud all fruit sold them. This
was attributed first to the loss of western
dealers on account of the large peach
crop west, which being sufficient to sup
ply their home markets made it impos-
sible for them to deal in Peninsular fruit
this season. Eastern dealers we're placed
in a similar position on account of the
large crop in New Jersey which, as anti
cipated, filled their markets with commis-
sion goods This left us with a very
limited number of buyers; with local buy
ers, shipping agents, commission men
and considerable railroad influence
brought to bear against the sys-
tenn; so that the effort was tenn
porarily abandoned, and arrnnga-
ments were at once perfected to
make the base of operations Barnard's
wharf, Kent county, Md, which bad the
prospect of being the largest peach
centre on the Peninsula this year the
estimated crop from that point being
$50 900 baskets. The only markets the
fruit from this point formerly had were
Baltimore and Philadelphia, which were,
to say the least, very unsatisfactory; hut,
as the exchange proposed, if established
here, TO transport the fruit by steamer to
Perryville, thence to be loaded into cars
for destination. forming new outlet for
the fruit of this section, we had every
prospect to secure the patronage of every
individual grower. l was therefore in
structed to proceed at once and made all
the necessary arrangements for selling
this quantity of fruit, which I did at
cost for building, books, NC, of about
$3.50.
Never were prospects for successful
cially and otherwise, but an invisible
power seemed to will otherwise, as the
continued wet weather and overloaded
trees interfered with the perFecting Of She
fruit to such an extent that possibly not
more than one-half of the fTait ON the
trees matured amt about one-third OF that
was of "a very inferior character. So the
actual number of baskets offered was far
short of tho estimated crop which the
exchange had made ample preparation
10 handle; our actual sales only amount
ing to 67, ,996 baskets, at q cost for selling
OF $246 90, leaving q balance in
favor of the exchange of 1888. AZ
on sales account. These peaches were
loaded at cost of ST69. 81.
for which the exchange received $4Sl. SO,
leaving an actual loss on loading account
of $2SS O4. The average price per basket
was 52s cents; the highest average price
per basket for an individual seller was
GAY cents net. The highest number sold
any day was on August 28th when we re.
ceived commissions on 1852 baskets
$40 52 and $40 for loading the same
which naie the total receipts for the dav
ssh 52 Oar expense for the day was
S33, leaving net gain for the days
transactions of $47.52 l simply cite
this instance TO show that we had the
machinery TO handle large quantities at a
profit. This same force would have han
died double the quantity had it been of
feTed.
The report then proceeds to say that
the exchange, in anticipation of pressing
need of ready communication between
those places, put up telephone line from
Wyoming, via Camden. Dover and
smyrna, to Clayton, at a cost of 1921. "a. |
Not having, for reasons alteady given, the
use expected for this telephone line, the
exchange applied for and recived the
privilege of opening it for public use, but
after one months use this privilege was
revoked, since which the liue has not
been in operation The Delaware Il At
lantic Telegraph and Telephone Company
oilers to operate the line for SO per cent
of the gross receipts.
The exchange has received from all
sources during the year, $2,509 81, and
has paid out $2,539 9l Its obligations
amount to $923,6S, which Just about
balances the cost of the telephone line.
The report concludes by urging con
tinued unity of action on the peach
growers and thanking them generally for
past courtesies.
The following directors were elected:
j. u. Brown, Rising Sun; E. II. Ban
croft, Camden A, l.. Hudson, Smyrna 1:
George Gildersleeve, Camden John j.
Rosa, Milford; E. l.. Martin, Seaford ;
George w. Whitaker, Dover w. H. Bur.
mite, FELTON,; N. Barnard, Still Pond, Nd,